Locals guide: The 151 best things to do in Bogotá

Bogotá is a big, intimidating mosaic of a city. Your life-changing experience of it will only be limited by your budget, and a willingness to ask yourself one simple question:

¨Por qué no?¨

Look at the top 3 Bogotá things to do on TripAdvisor: Botero Museum, Gold Museum & Monserrate. Now ask anyone who lives in and loves Bogotá. Chances are they have only been to those places once, and will recommend those activities as an excuse to just get out explore. They´re great places to visit for a short stay in Bogotá, but they are not the big reason more and more foreigners have fallen in love with the city. That is the purpose of this guide, to provide enough reasons and weird ideas to make you ask yourself ¨por qué no?¨ (as I have done here since 2009) and step out into the Bogotá wilderness with an open mind.

Play Tejo

Put on your old jeans, get a minimum of 2 people (the more the better) together and jump in a taxi. Free to play as long as you are buying extremely well-priced beers. Colombian version of bowling. Recklessly throwing metal hockey pucks at packets of gunpowder next to other Colombians doing the same thing.

Tejo de la 76 – (Google Map Link). Great spot, conveniently located a few minutes walk from one of the best nightlife areas (Zona Rosa). Industrialized version of tejo.

El Viejo Pacho (Google Map Link) As authentic of a tejo experience as you can get. You won´t find well-to-do Bogotanos at this tejo place made from recycled farm materials.

Live Music

There is an impressive music scene in Bogotá. The marketing for those gigs, not so impressive. Word of mouth and Facebook will give you whispers of an interesting drum show, a free cumbia/Systema Solar/Bomba Estereo concert, or whatever it may be. Follow your instincts, and ask your newfound friends. These places are known for putting on interesting live gigs:

Walk Around

I love motorcycle travel because you dive into new towns with new smells, and have experiences that would be missed in a bus or a plane. The same thing applies to Bogotá, do yourself a favour and run a random errand or find a coffee shop and hit the streets. Great walking areas in Bogotá that you don´t need to specify exactly what to do:

Centro. Dense area of Museums and Plazas. Another great time to walk centro is at dusk around the weekend, along the 7ma. Buskers, artists, guinea pig races, street food, random personalities are everywhere. *Handy tip*:When visiting Plaza Bolivar, there is a grain shop off the south corner of the plaza towards Cra 10. They sell bulk corn (not the overpriced tiny packets) and you can buy a full shopping bag straight from the source to get all the damn pigeons in your photo.

Carrera 13, running south from Plaza Lourdes

Chapinero Alto – Between Calle 53 and Calle 72, Between Carrera 3 and Carrera 7. Budding entrepreneurs, organic food shops, a mix of victorian and colonial architecture make this a hilly but surprising place to explore.

Candelaria. Blink and you might miss a gem of a spot. Play football with the locals, experiment in the bakery, look for a flea market. The hunt is the best part.

San Victorino, west of centro. Keep an eye on your pockets and take a stroll through the hustle n bustle world of downtown vendors. Very close by, don´t miss used book alley.

Drink

Zona T, Parque 93, Zona G, are great places to go for a drink. On quieter nights, these are reliable places to socialize. You´ll meet likeminded people and have predictable service. If you like a story to go with your drink try these spots:

BBC Bodegas – New on the scene. No frills version of the famous Bogota Beer Company chain. Locations aren´t well listed online, but keep an eye open for these to stop in for a top value pitcher.

Apache Bar – Located on the top floor of the Click Clack Hotel. Put on your fancy pants and sip on a delicious watermelon cocktail or a whiskey with a view. Like views? Also grab a drink at Centrico (stunning city views).

Find a tienda (mini-store) – A cheeky option and favorite amongst expats. Ideally you want a tienda with large beer fridges, jukebox, a rowdy group with a table of empty beer bottles, as small as possible bathrooms (under the staircase bathrooms are best), a spirited shopkeeper, fixed seating that is a tad too cramped, and an assorted snack cabinet to fuel the session. Don´t be surprised when a marathon drinking session with mates (new & old) comes to $25.

Andres DC – If you only go here once, save it for a Thursday – Saturday night and go big. Be prepared to drop some dime, but I promise you won´t experience anything else like it. They have a location in Chia which is harder to get to logistically, but worth it.

Craft Beer Scene: An institutional presence in the craft beer scene is Bogotá Beer Company, consistent and decent. For more home-grown flavours head over to La Estatua Roja and try their terrifyingly dark AK-47 or Chelarte for a earnest selection of tasty beers. If you are up in North Bogota head to Cervezeria Moonshine. If you are in Salitre, head to the Britannia Pub for a Sierra del Tigre pint.

Chorro de Quevedo – Pick up a bottle of something special and head to the Chorro de Quevedo on a Friday afternoon for a cheeky drink and soak up the atmosphere!

Cocktails? Head over to Huerta for hand-crafted cocktails. Mai Tai for Cocktails (& Sushi all you can eat on Wednesdays),

*Bogotá Hangover Cure*: Go to the closest Drogeria or Tienda and ask for a ¨BonFiest¨. Go to the nearest Panaderia (Bakery) and order a Caldo (Beef Rib Soup). Mix Bonfiest with water and drink the caldo. Thank me when you feel awesome after 20 minutes.

Coffee

Don´t forget you are in the country with the best coffee in the world. A new wave of coffee shops have started capitalizing on this. Here are the best places to go in Bogotá for a cup.

Amor Perfecto – Full of Barista champs in a quiet Chapinero Alto neighborhood.

Bourbon Coffee Roasters – With coffee brought in from neighboring regions, they know how to execute the perfect expresso.

Cafe Cultor – Adjacent to a co-working space, in a recycled shipping container, with a fixie bicycle locked up outside, served by a barista with a moustache, this the best coffee before anyone knew it was the best.

Festivals

Bogotá has a ridiculous amount of festivals. Wine & Food,
Film, Theatre, Yoga, Vegetarian, Jazz, LGBT, Salsa, Rock, Art etc. The best ones will get to you by word of mouth, but the rest of the time check what’s going on here, here or here. Many of them in Bogotá are free, and then larger ones like Estero Picnic are held just outisde the city. It does take some investigation as there is still no definitive list anywhere.

Have a big night out

If you get an invitation from a local Colombian to some kind of live event, performance or party in a place you have never heard of, ask yourself ´Por qué no?´ and do it. This is hands down the best way to have a memorable night in Bogotá. Many consider the nightlife the best part of Bogotá. If you don´t like dancing you will miss out on half of the fun of Colombia. Get over it – as a foreigner, locals will expect your skills are sub-par, and don´t actually care. For you it´s a win-win. Your creativity and anything close to rhythm will score you points. Here are the best places to get loose, follow them on facebook to look out for special events:

Rent a bicycle and join the crowds of Colombians whizzing along the Septima. Take the chance to get a perspective of the city that is just too crowded with cars to enjoy during the week. Get in adventure mode. If you´re lucky, Bogota & Beyond will be running events on the day, scavenger hunts and photo challenges with locals and travellers. If you get hungry, stop in a larger hotel to take advantage of a buffet brunch. If you are adventurous take ciclovia south from Centro and get a feel for Bogotá life outside of the safer, more international zones of the north.

Plan your trip

1 Day in Bogota Planner

Go to this 1 day stay in Bogotá TripAdvisor list which is pretty decent or open your Lonely Planet and pick 1-2 activities near to where you are staying. This guide is probably not for you. Reserve more time next trip!

Day 2 – Breakfast in a gourmet panaderia (Bakery) with a tinto (Coffee) or hot chocolate and cheese if you are feeling game. Lunch in La Macarena, a bohemian restaurant district with local and a broad mix of international cuisine. Walk down to the Museo National to see an excellent collection of archaelogical artefacts, or the current exhibition. Get some sunshine by a walk through Parque Nacional, or grab a relaxing afternoon tinto in ParkWay. It´s Tuesday night, head to La Villa for the free language exchange that turns into a cross-cultural party.

Day 3 – More sightseeing in La Candelaria – visit the Palacio de San Carlos at Calle 10 and the Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango at Calle 11 – check listings for free classical concerts in the grand concert hall here. Nearby, the Donacion Botero Museum has an art collection that includes works by Picasso, Monet and Dali. Check out why Bogota is at the top of the street art scene with the Bogota Graffiti tour. Have lunch or dinner at Cafe Pasaje, at Cra 6, which sits on a picturesque square and is a great spot for relaxed eating and drinking

Day 4 – Day trip to the surrounding areas of beautiful high-mountain terrain around Bogotá. Head to Lake Guatavita and learn of the pre-Columbian sacred folklore. Spend the afternoon touring the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, an 8000m² underground church inside a Salt mine.

Day 5 – Start of the day with a short hike called Quebrada de la Vieja. A 45 minute walk through jungle and creeks that rewards you with a viewpoint overlooking the humming cityscape below. Meander down the creek until you get to Zona G, the world-class Gastronomic Zone of Bogotá. Filled with restaurants, wine bars and international pastry shops, your palate will be pleased! It´s Friday, head over to Zona T for some afternoon shopping and later spend the evening at the eccentric Andres de Res DC restaurant that defines the Colombian passion for food and dancing. There are few cities that rival Bogotá for its feverish love of nightlife and a good old fashioned rumba!

Day 6 – Spend the morning walking around Parque de la 93. Grab a traditional caldo if your head is sore from the night before. Later on, an ice cream in Parque Virrey. Head over to the Botanical Gardens or check listings to see which of the hundreds fairs or festivals is currently happening. Stop by a Tejo court and have some cold ones. Enjoy dinner in Gaira, a lively restaurant/bar owned by Colombian Latin Pop/rock star Juanes. Bogotá has famous nightlife, try some aguardiente and dance!

Day 7 – Enjoy the Sunday morning markets of Usaquen (rent a bicycle for ciclovia to get there), browsing artesanels and crafts from traditional groups all over Colombia, followed by an delicious lunch overlooking the cobblestone streets.

Who are we? (Plus: Bogotá Hotspot Map)

The Apartment Bogota is a furnished apartment rental and property management service in Bogotá. We are dedicated to provide the most comfortable, locally integrated accommodations in Bogotá. We assist our guests so they know the best places to visit in Bogotá. For the moment, you will notice that we are very focused on Chapinero Bajo & Chapinero Alto, as they are positioned to be the best area to stay in to experience Bogotá. We have compiled our secret hotspots into the following Google Custom Map. You can open it on the google maps app on your phone (download the local area if you don´t have a data plan.), when you click on a marker, google maps will even give you directions how to get there from your current location.

Author: Sam Miller. Australian born & raised, North American bred. Traveled from Canada to Argentina in 2009, and Colombia caught my eye. I haven´t had a dull day since. Currently providing Bogotá real estate services & investments with Colombia International Real Estate and Furnished Rental & Property Management services with The Apartment Bogotá.

This might be my quick "bio" but I want one thing to be crystal clear: this site is all about YOU! It’s my singular mission here at Colombian Lifestyle to report on and create awesome stuff that’s really helpful, insightful, to the point and makes your time (or potential time) in Medellin better.
Since 2006 I've been investing in and helping others–from digital nomads to retirees and expats of all stripes–transition here to lead wonderful lives in my favorite city in the world!